Lovesick
by power ballad contest
Summary: Bella understood statistics, but she never thought she'd become one. Edward was good at covering his tracks, or so he thought. One doctor's visit manages to shatter a relationship that was seemingly perfect.


The 80's Power Ballad Contest: Twilight Edition

Name of song and artist chosen: Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart

Title: Lovesick

Word Count: 3,950

Rating: M

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: Bella understood statistics, but she never thought she'd become one. Edward was good at covering his tracks, or so he thought. One doctor's visit manages to shatter a relationship that was seemingly perfect.

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I've always hated doctors. From the time I could remember, it had always been a constant fear. My parents would have to make up some elaborate rouse to get me there, but it never ended well. When I discovered where we were going, I would scream bloody murder. Needless to say, I was dreading going down to the clinic to get my results from my test last week. I had been having a little trouble downstairs and it wasn't something that could be cured by a simple home remedy, much to my dismay. I had no choice but to bite the bullet by getting it checked out. It wasn't a pleasant experience, let me tell you, but I made it through.

However, I hadn't bothered to tell Edward about my problem, as he was away on a business trip. Besides, until I knew what was going on, there was no need to worry him, right?

I sat on the table, staring into space, waiting for the doctor to walk in and deliver the news. The silence was unbearable. My mind kept going through different scenarios, trying to figure out what the problem could possibly be. Why else, other than to deliver bad news, would they have called me back? Absurd as it was, the only thing that came to mind was the possibility of an STD. No, I shook my head, it couldn't be. I had only been with Edward and refused to believe he that would knowingly pass that crap on to me.

My head was a chaotic mess of jumbled thoughts, one right after another. I stood up quickly, the crinkling noise from the white paper beneath me startled me, but I quickly regained my composure.

I started pacing back and forth, my heartbeat rising steadily. I could feel my palms begin to sweat, so I rubbed them on my pants to dry them, shaking them afterward to will the nervousness away.

I tried to recall all the times that we had been intimate in the recent weeks, thinking maybe there was something noticeable on his junk that I had somehow overlooked. The images swirled around in my head, but I couldn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. Nothing stood out as a red flag, but deep down, I knew I was missing something.

I heard the door creep open and leaped back in response. The doctor who entered was a fragile-looking old man who looked to be in his sixties. Great, this wouldn't be awkward at all. When I had come in for my first examination, the doctor was a woman, but I guess she was off today, so I was stuck with grandpa.

"Miss Swan, I presume?" He didn't bother to look up from the folder he was holding. I noticed my name in bold, black letters on the front.

"Ye-yes, that's me," I managed to stammer out. I hadn't realized I was gripping the counter with all my might until my hands began to ache.

He motioned for me to take a seat, and so I obliged. My stomach was in knots. He started rifling through the display pamphlets, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw him bring the one labeled "Facts about STDs".

"Miss Swan," he greeted. "I assume you've been educated on the advantages of practicing safe sex?" Waiting for a response, he finally looked up and fixed on me with his gaze. I was flushed all over. It felt like it was a hundred degrees, like the walls were closing in on me.

I couldn't speak. It was as if a frog was caught in my throat. All I could manage to do was nod like an idiot.

"Then you're also aware of the dangers that come with having unprotected sex?" he said in a tone that expressed impatience.

Again, my throat failed to produce anything that was even close to an audible word. I cleared my throat in an attempt to say something, anything, but there was nothing but silence. It was no use. I just continued to nod like a dumb-ass.

"Miss Swan," he said emphatically. "I'm afraid you have Gonorrhea, and from the looks of it, you've had it for quite some time. You're lucky it hasn't spread through your blood stream and caused more serious damage."

I knew he was waiting for a response, but I just sat there, dumbfounded, unable to think of anything beyond, _I HAVE GONORRHEA_.

"I can tell this comes as a shock to you, but we can nip this in the bud by starting immediate treatment," he assured. "To avoid future problems, I suggest reading this pamphlet." With a shaky hand, I reached out to take the proffered pamphlet.

He stood to leave and said, "See the nurse about your prescription. I'll see you in about a week for a follow-up. Any questions?" he asked.

"No." I said my voice hoarse.

He sighed deeply and then gave me a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Miss Swan."

"Th-thank you, Doctor," I managed to choke out. As he left the room, he turned back and gave me a small, reassuring smile.

How? How could this happen to me?

Quietly sobbing, I thought of Edward. Not only had he cheated on me, but he'd given me the fuckin' clap! I wasn't going to take this lying down. I grabbed my purse and jacket and headed out. His flight would be arriving soon and when he got home, we would have words. Oh boy, would we have words.

When I got home, I was still fuming. I went through all the drawers and closets, hoping to discover something that would tell me who Edward was screwing. By the time I was done, the house looked like a war zone. I couldn't find anything that would point me in the direction of his whore, or whores.

After two years together, this is what I get? Did I ever really know this man? Frustrated and tired, I gave up for now and went to take a nice, relaxing shower.

The hot water helped to calm me down and clear my head. With a clear mind, I questioned everything. Were all those recent business trips really about business? Right now, I couldn't be sure of anything. Standing in the shower, I let the steam envelop my lungs and decided on a course of action.

When I got out of the shower, I could hear the TV blaring from the living room. Good, he was home. Rage unlike I'd ever felt before, swelled in my veins. I wrapped myself in a towel and made my way toward the bedroom to get dressed. A naked fight would lead to distraction, a distraction that I couldn't afford right now.

I dressed in a fury, each movement having a definite purpose. Once dressed, I grabbed my purse and pulled out the three bottles of medications that I'd gotten from the clinic. The nurse was insistent when she'd said I should start taking them today.

An unexpected curse sounded from my mouth. I turned to make sure he hadn't heard my outburst, as it would ruin the element of surprise. I grabbed the prescription bottles, along with the pamphlet, and made my way into the living room. I wanted him to feel as humiliated as I was in that doctor's office.

Before I made it there, however, Edward cut me off at the end of the hallway, backing me up against the wall, pinning me with his body. I struggled to free myself, bucking hard against him. I dropped the items in my hands and tried to push him off of me. I stopped struggling when he ground into me, rubbing his hardening erection against me.

I reused too look at him, I was so angry and hurt. This man that I'd been living with, the man whom I loved, had betrayed me. Gently, he pulled my face toward his and kissed me full on the mouth. "I missed you," he whispered against my lips.

Open your mouth and speak, Bella. I opened my mouth to do just that, but the next thing I knew, my lips were on his, kissing him back. Moaning into his mouth, my tongue caressing with his, felt so good. Lost in a haze of lust, I surrendered, wrapping my arms and legs around him as he moved us toward the bedroom.

Once in the room, he placed me on the bed, admiring the view. He stood back and began unbuttoning his shirt slowly, with nimble fingers. Impatient, I rose from the bed and ambled toward him, rubbing my hands up and down his chest. Turning us around, and with a firm shove to his chest, I pushed him back onto the bed. Straddling his waist, I leaned down and kissed my way up his chest. Reaching his nipple, I swirled my tongue around it. He groaned. "Feels so good, baby."

I released his nipple with a pop, turning my head to the side to give the same treatment to the other, when I spied the pamphlet sitting on the night stand. Furious at myself and at him, I kissed my way up his neck, until; finally, I reached his mouth. I bit down on his lip as hard as I could, it broke the skin. The copper aftertaste rolling my stomach.

He yelped and jerked away from me. "What the fuck, Bella?"

I shrugged, adopting an innocent look. "Sorry."

He shot me a wary glace before he relaxed again. I rose from the bed to stand before him. I pulled my shirt up over my head and dropped it haphazardly to the floor, the rest of my clothes soon followed. He licked his lips as I stood before him, naked as the day I was born.

He was enjoying this. Usually he was the one in charge. Crawling over to him on the bed, I reached for the button on his pants and slowly undid it, along with the zipper. I grasped the waistband of his jeans and boxers, and he lifted his hips so I could pull them down his thighs. I gave him a few firm tugs before I attempted to straddle his waist.

"Bella, wait. I need to get a condom," he said as he lifted me off of him.

"A condom?" I said. "Are you kidding me? We haven't used condoms since I went on birth control. Is there something I should know?" I asked suspiciously.

"No, of course not," he said quickly, giving me one of his charming smiles.

The sole reason I was even on birth control was because he didn't like condoms. The fact that he now insisted on using one told me everything I needed to know. Hurt and betrayal surged in my chest that he would sit there and lie to my face.

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to catch gonorrhea again. After all, you just got rid of it." Tears stinging my eyes, I scrambled off the bed, grabbed my clothes, and stormed out of the room.

In the hallway I dressed quickly. When I was done, I picked up the medication I'd dropped earlier.

Edward stormed out of the room. "What the hell are you talking about? Is this your way of telling me you have gonorrhea?" he asked.

"I don't know, do I?" I paused for a moment, waiting for him to confess, but he just stood there, crossing his arms against his chest as if to accuse me of some wrong doing.

Furious, I threw the prescription bottles at him. He didn't bother to catch them; he was too busy glaring at me.

"I know you cheated on me," I yelled. "You know, I could maybe get past the cheating, but how could you give me the fuckin' clap? You didn't even have the decency to wrap your fucking dick when you were off screwing your whores!"

I brushed past him as I made my way to the kitchen. I was beyond furious. I opened the fridge, grabbed a beer, and slammed the door shut. Alcohol was a necessity as this point. Turning, I saw that he'd followed me and was in the process of zipping up his pants.

Standing only inches from me, he snarled. "I didn't fuckin' cheat on you!" He slammed his fist on the counter, making me jump.

"Then how did I get an STD, Edward? Did my vagina magically contract it?" I could practically see the wheels turning; he'd never been a good liar.

"How the fuck should I know?" he shouted. "Maybe someone from the restaurant gave you a generous tip and you decided to thank him. Maybe you sat on a filthy ass toilet seat? Or, who knows, maybe you're just trying to cover your ass. Where's your proof?" He didn't even wait for a response; he just turned and headed for the living room.

I threw the beer bottle toward his head. As big as it was, you'd think I'd have hit it, but no, I missed. Hearing the clatter it made on the floor, he turned around.

"That's your explanation, a toilet seat? A customer? I work at Applebee's, you fucking asshole. It's a family restaurant, not Hooters!" I screeched. I was so full of rage that I'd started to scare myself. I started throwing things in his direction - a pot, a glass, anything I could get my hands on.

"You're crazy, Bella. I'm leaving until you get it together." He stormed off, heading for the bedroom, a slew of curses following in his wake.

"Fine," I screamed. "Good riddance. Hope you catch a case of crabs next. The ladies will love that."

Hearing the bedroom door slam, I leaned against the counter, shaking my head in disbelief. A toilet seat? Really? Did he honestly think I was that stupid? Was this even the same man I'd given my heart to?

A few minutes later I heard footsteps behind me and the sound of jingling keys.

"Good-bye, you crazy ass bitch."

I didn't bother to turn around or respond. Hearing the door close shut behind him, I crumbled to the floor, sobbing. Everything was falling apart. Yesterday, I happy and in love, and today, I was a gonorrhea infected mess. How could it all go so wrong?

As much as I wanted to sit in a corner and cry my eyes out, I knew I couldn't. I was scheduled to close, and if I didn't show up, I was as good as fired.

Everything that had happened the day before was still fresh in my mind, and as much as he had hurt me, I kept checking my phone to see if Edward had called or left a text. But, of course he hadn't. Edward Cullen would never admit he was wrong.

Jasper, my closest friend and co-worker, was waiting for me in the break room. I had called him the night before and filled him in on all the dirty details. He was kind enough to listen to my rambling without judgment.

"Hey, Bella. How you doing?" he asked compassionately.

"Hey, Jas," I greeted. "I'm okay. I just feel like an idiot. I trusted him, and all this time he was off screwing other girls and making a fool out of me." I put my bag in my locker and grabbed my apron, tying it around my waist.

"He doesn't deserve you," he said angrily. "I never liked him. He acts like his shit don't stink." He shook his head, his blond hair moving gently with the movement. "I've never met such an arrogant asshole."

"You're probably right," I agreed. "But there's a part of me that wants to forgive him. I still love him, even after everything." I avoided looking at Jasper. I knew how stupid I sounded.

Jasper raised his brows. "Are you serious? After the shit he's pulled, are you really that naive?" His tone showed his disapproval.

Jasper was right, I knew he was. We all make mistakes, though, right? I was still so confused. I smoothed my apron into place and headed to the dining area, hoping the distraction of work would provide some much needed relief.

The whole night was a blur. I was on autopilot, just taking orders and serving drinks without so much as an afterthought. By the time the last customer had left, I had begun to felt like myself again.

I had even tried talking to Jasper again, but he was obviously still angry with me, and I didn't like it. I had just made up my mind to go talk to him again when my cell vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I noticed it was a text from Edward.

**Can we talk? I love you.**

I felt myself smile a bit and I closed the phone, not bothering to reply. I wasn't sure what to say yet. I held the phone in my hands for a minute, contemplating what to do.

I turned and saw Jasper at the table behind me, wiping it down and rearranging the condiments. His eyes met mine, and I knew he could read me, he knew exactly what I was thinking. He walked toward me slowly, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Bella, I know what you're thinking and you can't, you just can't. Can't you see that he's not going to change? He's not worth it, let it go," he said earnestly.

"It's not that easy, I love him."

"He's not the only one who cares for you, you know."

He hugged me to his chest, lightly kissing my forehead.

"Just think about everything before you go running back to him. There are other options, don't forget that."

After a gentle squeeze, he kissed my cheek and walked away. I could feel the eyes of my other co-workers on me, thoroughly embarrassed I hurried into the break room. Rubbing my cheek, I could still feel the tingle from Jasper's soft lips.

Utterly confused, I was pulled from my thoughts by the vibrating of my phone again. Now he was calling me, this should be interesting.

"Hello?" I answered apprehensively.

"Are you coming home?" Edward asked. "Please, let's talk this over. It can't end like this."

"I don't know," I said. "Everything is a mess. I honestly don't know if I can ever trust you again."

"Bella, it was a mistake. Let's just work this out, give me a chance to explain," he pleaded.

Every fiber of my being was telling me to end it, right now, over the phone. Even if it was pretty shitty to dump someone over the phone, Edward really didn't deserve anything better after all he had done. I stood quiet for a few moments before giving him an answer.

"Okay, I'll be there in about an hour. But I can't promise anything" I hung up the phone before he could say anything else. I needed a clear head when I talked to him, he wouldn't be able to charm his way out of this one.

I breezed through cleaning all of my remaining tables and managed to cash out 20 minutes early. I noticed Jasper was still working. Our eyes met and I could tell immediately that he wanted to talk to me. I really couldn't deal with anymore right now; I had enough on my plate. I smiled sadly, and with a small shake of my head, I left for the back entrance, avoiding him for now.

Tomorrow, when I had a better handle on things, I would call him up, apologize, and figure things out. Something hand changed between us, I could feel it, but I wasn't sure what to make of it just yet.

As soon as I was safely inside my car, it started to rain. Not just a few sprinkles, either, but pouring down, raging thunder and lightning type of rain. I hesitated, not sure if it was safe to drive, but I needed to talk to Edward. The uncertainty was fraying my already shot nerves.

Deciding to just chance it, I started the car, backed up, and was on my way. It was hard to see, not only because of the rain, but because of the late hour.

When I reached the apartment building, I was stunned by what I saw on the sidewalk in front of the building.

All of my belongings, my clothes, my books, everything I owned was packed up in boxes, soaking wet, and out for all to see. I hopped out of the car, not bothering to grab an umbrella, and was drenched within seconds. How dare he? How could he do this to me?

I ran into the building, skipping the elevator, and stomped up the four flights of stairs to reach our apartment . . .well, I guess by the looks of things, it was HIS apartment now.

I tried to open the door with my key, but it didn't work. I tried a second time, but still, nothing. I had figured this much. I pounded on the door with all my might, pounding so hard it began to hurt the side of my hand.

"Edward, open the damn door!" I shouted. I could hear the doors creak open as the neighbors peered out to see what all the commotion was about.

"Edward, you coward!" I continued banging until the pain in my hand was too much to bear.

After a while, I gave up. Everything was silent. I tried kicking the door a few times, just for good measure, but nothing. I called his cell phone and it went straight to voicemail. I tried the house phone, but got a busy signal. I could feel the sting in my eyes as the tears began to flow. Jasper was right, I am stupid. I turned my back toward the door and slid down, pulling my knees up against my chest.

I sat there for a moment before I picked myself up and headed down the stairs. I had lost my boyfriend, my dignity, and now my apartment.

I emerged outside to a different sky than when I had gone in. The clouds were beginning to part and the rain had let up. I could see a few stars peeking out from beneath the dark, grey clouds. I grabbed my soaked boxes and placed them in the backseat of my car. I was still soaked as well, but nothing I owned was any better. I got in and tossed my phone on the passenger seat, I sat there a moment pondering what my next move would be. I was interrupted by a buzz from my phone, Oh how lovely another text from Edward.

**Your prescriptions are in the mailbox ;) **

That son of a bitch, I got out and quickly retrieved my prescriptions, tossing his mail on the floor in the process. I got back in my car and drove instinctively toward the only person I knew had been right all along. I just hoped, or rather prayed he would let me in and forgive my stupidity.

I pulled up to his building and headed inside. Please, God, cut me a break. Wasn't it enough that I had been humiliated by Edward yet again? I headed up the stairs, apartment 3C, Jasper Whitlock. I took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door. It was all in the hands of fate now. All I could do was wait and see if that door in front of me would open or remain closed.

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